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Hedgehog Hall of Fame: HROC PR - Well Gel – Launch of Roundup Gel

28th August 2013

Company: HROC PR
Campaign: Well Gel – launch of Roundup Gel
Category: Best Use of Evaluation - South - Shortlisted
Objective
• Launch the new Roundup Gel to major retailers, garden centres, supermarkets and other potential retail stockists of weed killer.
• Raise awareness of the unique formula of Roundup Gel and its specific uses – not just another ‘re-package’.
• Showcase the benefits of this new formula – a targeted weed killer that does not damage nearby plants.
• Create demand for new Roundup Gel - get the product listed for the 2012 weed killer season.
• Achieve a Top 50 SKU placement in GFK 2012 figures - difficult for a new product.
• Educate garden centre staff about Gel to prevent customer loss (recent research had found that 45 per cent of customers leave the Ferts & Chems aisle without purchase due to lack of understanding of the different options available).
Target Audience
• Roundup is the UK’s best selling weed killer brand with the ready-to-use (RTU) and Pump N’ Go brands.
• After several years in development, a revolutionary gel formulation was ready for launch in September 2011 – Roundup Gel.
• With a lack of innovation in the sector in recent years, there was a perception in the trade that new products are essentially the same products which have only been re-packaged.
• However, Roundup Gel is unique in the weed killer market – there is no competitor product that has the same gel formula, and one touch is all it takes to accurately kill weeds with no damage to other plants and flowers growing nearby.
• Roundup therefore needed an all-encompassing campaign to raise awareness of the new product and its benefits amongst the trade community and secure listings, orders and retail shelf-space.
• HROC was involved with the launch of Roundup Gel from the very beginning of the campaign, even consulting on the naming of the new product.
Action

Naming the product – HROC was instrumental in organising the focus groups to decide on the product name

Launch at GLEE – HROC advised the product should be launched at GLEE, the UK’s biggest show for gardening trade, encompassing four key elements:
- One-on-one journalist interviews for the client, explaining the benefits of Gel
- Development of an iPad game to show retailers and the media exactly how Gel works - Award submission for Best New Product at GLEE

Filming of the stand at GLEE including interview with client, explanation of the benefits etc.

The Academy – An online training facility was launched for retail customers so that retail staff could learn about the benefits of Gel- incentivised with prizes such as iPads, ipods and iTunes vouchers. A dedicated microsite was developed as a central hub for Academy ‘graduates’. It was launched with a press release and followed up with key stories about milestone achievements.

Roundup Roadshow (Garden Centre Demos) – a series of in-store demos to support retailers and help them sell the benefits of the new product.

Media relations/Desk visits – a hard-working media relations campaign ensuring that every relevant trade journalist received the new product information and a sample of the product.

Consumer pull – a hard-working consumer campaign to ‘pull’ demand from consumers for retailers to stock the product.

Results
• Focus group to decide on the brand name
• HROC organised attendance at GLEE, negotiated a prime position and manned the stand for the entire show
• Drafted a full press pack to support the launch
• Organised and supervised on-stand media interviews with the client
• Used the iPad game to show retailers and journalists exactly how the new formula works, generating buy-in to the benefits etc
• Drafted the award submissions for GLEE Best New Product 2011
• Scripted, directed and filmed a three minute film of the launch at GLEE - The film was also seeded on YouTube and used as content on the Roundup website
• Distribution of press packs to all relevant trade media e.g Garden Trade News, Garden Centre Update, Garden Retail, DIY Week, Garden & Hardware News etc.
• Desk visits to trade press and sample distribution
• Developed the concept for The Academy, worked with internal team to design the technology/questions, drafted press releases and set up interviews with the media about the launch of The Academy. Milestone press releases were also distributed to trade press to communicate its success to retail customers.
• Drafted and distributed a call-to-action press release about the Roundup Roadshow/garden centre demos
• Developed and executed a full consumer campaign to ‘pull’ consumers to demand that retailers stock Roundup Gel. This was then communicated back to the retailers via trade press to prove the high level of support available to retail customer
Exceeded all expectations for the launch of Roundup Gel, smashed initial sales targets and delighted our client.
• Roundup Gel was listed in all major retailers, garden centres and supermarkets
• In the first GFK figures of 2012, Roundup Gel entered at number 22 of the best selling weed killer products - unheard of for a brand new product (The new Gel formula has only been sold in stores since the start of 2012)
• In the latest GfK figures (July 2012), its position is number 2
• ROI of 19:1 (PR Value divided by PR Fee)
• Constant sell-out in major retailers e.g Wilkinson’s sold 250 units in the first week, 1,200 units in week two building up to 10,000 units in just one week.
• 52 cuttings for Roundup Gel across all trade media
• Eight individual recommendations by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) on its website
• More than 6,000 views on YouTube of the TV advert and How to Use Roundup Gel guide
• Awards wins and accolades:
- Best new product at GLEE 2011
- Fertilisers and Chemicals Product of the Year awarded by DIY Week
- Top 10 product for 2012 awarded by Amateur Gardening magazine
- Featured in Best New Products for 2012 in Garden News magazine
• 300 graduates from the Roundup Academy, so far
• 500 garden centre demos all across the UK
• Web traffic increased by 83 per cent
• The weed killer category overall has grown by an impressive 30 per cent on the same period last year.
• Looking specifically at Roundup, the brand has exceeded this growth at 32.8 per cent and has increased its market share from 2011, taking it from 29.9 per cent to 30.6 per cent.
The data shows that of the top ten weed killer products sold in the UK, seven are Roundup branded, with the 1L ready-to-use (RTU) and the 5L Pump ‘N Go taking the first and third slots respectively, with Gel coming in second, both of which have held their position from last year
URLhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq6tB9SAxgk&feature=g-upl
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